40 injured in factory explosion in northern Tanzania

Dar es Salaam,

At least 40 employees of a steel factory in Tanzania's northern region of Mwanza were injured on Friday afternoon following an explosion, police said on Saturday.

Ramadhan Ng'anzi, the Mwanza regional police commander, said the 40 employees of Nyakato Steel Mill factory in the Mwanza city got injured after a metal exploded throwing galvanised steel into all directions.

Ng'anzi said police in collaboration with members of the Tanzania Fire and Rescue Force arrived at the factory to supervise rescue operations.

The police official said the injured workers were rushed to the Sekou Toure regional referral Hospital for treatment, adding that some of the victims were in serious condition.

He said the police have launched an investigation to establish the cause of the explosion.

Diana Anatory, a medical doctor at the Sekou Toure regional referral hospital, said seven of the 40 injured workers were in critical condition.